What Should Have Been
by notenoughpotter
Summary: Stefan's locked in the tomb.  Damon's forced to keep Elena safe - that's not going to be easy.
1. Chapter 1

A/N: I don't own TVD...although that would be beyond awesome...

I have to admit that this is an unexpected fanfic. I totally planned to take a break, work on my own writing, and come back with my SE fiction in late January. Sadly (for me), but happily for you (I hope), this idea won't leave.

That being said, I have not done my standard obsessively-planned-out story arc. I will NOT update it overly quickly - probably just once a week until it is finished. I anticipate this story to be short - about 5 - 7 chapters.

For those of y'all who know me from , you know I wasn't overly pleased with BTLOTM. This is my view of... "What Should Have Been."

* * *

"_Let. Go. Of. Me_!" Each word was punctuated by Elena's fist striking his chest as she desperately tried to reach Stefan in the tomb. Damon never took his eyes off her. He couldn't change the situation, but he could allow her to vent her frustrations on him. Gradually, her heartbeat slowed and she took a shaky breath as the fight finally left her.

"Are you done?" He didn't really need to ask. He already knew. He stepped away from her - watching to make sure she didn't try to sneak past him.

She took one determined step in the direction of the tomb, and he again stood in the way of her path.

"_Tsk! Tsk_!" He shook his head as he signaled she'd made the wrong choice.

"Hmph!" Fire blazed in her eyes as she glared at him. He knew she was worried about Stefan, and he'd later discuss with his brother his annoyance at his choice to keep himself hidden, but he couldn't risk letting her get close to the invisible barrier. Elena turned and stormed out of the tomb, her chesnut-brown hair fanning behind her as she left.

The crunching of the dirt floor behind him announced his brother's presence even before he turned to face the tomb. "Stefan." He shook his head in disappointment. "What were you thinking?"

Katherine sauntered to the opening of the tomb and stood just behind Stefan - close enough that he could feel her presence yet not quite touching. The corners of her lips turned up in a satisfied smile.

"I couldn't let her keep Jeremy in here."

"Always the protector." Katherine's eyes looked Stefan up and down.

"I'll get you out." Damon glared over Stefan's shoulder at Katherine.

"No." Stefan shook his head. "I'll...deal with this." He reached out and leaned against the tomb wall. "Work with Bonnie - break the curse on the moonstone. And, Damon." His jaw tensed as he struggled for control. "Don't let Elena come back here."

Damon gave a sarcastic laugh. "Like that'll be simple." He looked sincerely at his brother. "I'll keep her away."

Stefan looked in the direction of the stairs. He took a breath and then locked eyes with his brother. "Take care of her."

Biting back the surly remark he wanted to utter for leaving him in such a hopeless situation, he nodded. "I will." With one last glance at his brother, Damon turned and mounted the stairs. He stepped out into the night and looked toward his car - the passenger's side door still standing open from when Elena jumped out of the moving vehicle. He made a mental note to chat with her about that when he realized Elena wasn't waiting in his car. Circling on the spot, he made a frightening observation. _Elena wasn't here._

"Elena?" He called out softly - hoping Stefan was occupied and didn't hear him. "Come on, Elena."

_Damn it!_ He'd been in charge of taking care of her for less than five minutes, and he'd already lost her. He hadn't been joking when he told Stefan guarding Elena wasn't going to be easy, but he didn't think he was going to lose her this soon.

"Elena!" When she still gave no hint of an answer, he stopped looking and let his hunter's senses take over. Keeping in tight control of his current hunger, he allowed his vampire nature to control him and seek out his closest prey which, unless he missed his guess, was Elena.

A soft heartbeat.

A deep sigh.

Leaves crumbling.

Damon forced himself back into his human facade as he walked in the direction of the sound. A few feet away from the clearing, he finally saw her and was struck by the irony of her choice of refuge.

Elena was seated on a mildly decayed tree stump. Rocking slightly back and forth, her gaze was fixed - staring into the nothingness of the night.

Damon couldn't shake the feeling of deja vu. It wasn't that long ago that he sat in that very spot lamenting the loss of the one responsible for Stefan's current predicament.

He walked to Elena's side and knelt on the damp earth. "Elena." He placed his hand on her knee. "Come on, we need to get you out of here." He stood and waited for her to follow.

She showed no sign of hearing him as she remained fixed in her spot.

He reached out and gently pulled her to her feet. "Stefan can hear that we're still here. He'll feel better if he knows you've gone home."

"You saw him?" Elena broke out of her almost-trance.

Damon nodded.

"Why wouldn't he come to see me?" She stumbled over a tree root.

He wrapped his arm around her waist when he realized she was less than steady on her feet. "I don't know." Add that to the list of things he didn't always understand about his brother's actions. "I think he was hoping it would be easier for you that way." He guided her in the direction of his car.

"But he's okay?" Elena looked at him with true fear in her eyes. "Katherine didn't hurt him?"

"He's fine." He shut the car door behind her. "I'll be back for you, Brother."

* * *

Jeremy was sitting on the porch swing as Damon pulled his car up in front of the house. He wasn't sure what he'd been expecting when Elena stormed off as Damon chased her down, but he was happy to see she'd returned in one piece.

The car had scarcely come to a stop before Elena had hopped out and was storming in Jeremy's direction. "What did you think you were doing? Why did you go into the tomb?"

Damon stifled a laugh as Jeremy actually took a step back from his older sister's tirade.

"I couldn't let her do it." His eyes looked like a sad puppy. "Elena, Bonnie's not strong enough. She hasn't told anyone, but all this magic is hurting her. I was afraid of what lifting the tomb spell would do. I thought I could do it, Elena. I was just trying to keep both of you safe."

That took the wind out of Elena's sails. She studied her brother's earnest expression. "I understand. Nothing today has really gone according to plan."

"That may be the understatement of the millenium, but in your case, I'm thankful for that." Damon followed Elena up the stairs. Elena turned and looked over her shoulder and glared at him - not wanting to be reminded about his interference with her plan. She reached for the door and walked into the house, slamming the door behind her with such force the windows shook.

"What's up with her?" Jeremy stared at the still-vibrating door. "Besides the obvious, I mean."

"Seems I thwarted your sister's brilliant plan." Damon took a seat on the porch swing. "I had to leave earlier today when Rose called to inform me that your sister was attempting to turn herself in to Klaus."

"She what?"

Damon leaned back and looked up at the sky. "Elena wanted to strike a bargain with Klaus. She'd turn herself in if he'd leave her friends and family alone."

Jeremy swallowed loudly. "But he'd kill her."

"She seems to be aware of that." Damon leaned over and held his head in his hands. He desperately needed a drink - blood or alcohol - he wasn't picky at this moment. Blood should have been the logical choice, but right now, he was leaning strongly toward just getting drunk. "Is Jenna home?"

"No. Ric's got her sleeping over tonight."

"So he knows what's been going on?"

Jeremy shook his head. "They came by earlier, and he saw the bandage. I think he figured something must have been up. He suggested the sleep over, and Jenna asked if Elena and I would be ok tonight."

"That's probably for the for the best." Damon stood and let himself into the house. He headed straight to the kitchen where he knew Jenna attempted to hide the good stuff. Reaching into the cabinet, he pulled down a glass. After pouring himself a drink, he looked at Jeremy and studied his appearance. He turned back to the cabinet and pulled a second glass down. Portioning out a smaller drink, he offered it to Jeremy. "How's your neck?" He cocked his head and looked at the red-stained bandage. "I remember how hard she can bite, and she wasn't hungry when I was with her."

Jeremy downed his drink in a single gulp. Those Gilbert kids certainly could hold their liquor. "I'm fine." He fingered his neck. "It doesn't hurt too much. I think I'm just going to go up and take a shower." He stalled for a minute and leaned against the counter as if he was waiting for something.

Damon realized what Jeremy was trying to avoid asking. "I'm staying here tonight. I promised Stefan I'd take care of her." He flicked his eyes toward the ceiling. "I'll sleep on the couch. She won't get past me."

* * *

Damon turned on his side, once again fighting the urge for sleep. The couch wasn't exactly uncomfortable, he'd slept in far less hospitable places, but he could still hear Elena moving around upstairs. He didn't want to risk even the slightest chance that she'd sneak out of the house without him realizing it. He was surprised when he heard her footsteps on the stairs, but not more surprised than she was to find him on the couch.

"What are you doing here?" She stammered as she ran her fingers through her hair.

"Someone had to keep you out of trouble." He noticed she was wearing her pajamas. Thankfully, an escape attempt was obviously not on her mind right now.

She visibly bristled. "I don't need a babysitter."

_"That's debatable._" He studied her appearance. Not only were her eyes puffy and bloodshot, but they were framed by dark shadows. While the bickering banter was enjoyable, he realized this wasn't the time with it. He decided to take a softer approach. "Couldn't sleep?"

She wandered into the kitchen - not totally surprised when he followed her. She wrapped her arms around herself, and she suddenly looked much smaller than normal. "Whatever gave you that idea?"

"It's one o'clock in the morning, and you're standing in your kitchen." Damon began to rummage though the pantry. He pulled out a handful of ingredients and walked to the stove.

Elena stared at him without really paying attention to what he was doing.

He casually stirred a pot until he dipped a spoon into whatever he'd been making. Satisfied with his results, he took a mug out of the glass-fronted cabinet. When he realized she wasn't really paying attention to him, he reached into Jenna's hiding place, withdrew a bottle, and poured an ample amount into the mug as well. He'd seen how well Elena managed her liquor. Tonight called for the strong stuff.

"Here." He pushed the mug into her hands.

Elena looked at it skeptically.

"It's hot chocolate, Elena. Have a sip." Damon walked back into the living room, hoping Elena would follow.

Elena tested out the drink. Invariably she burned her tongue on hot chocolate, but Damon had heated it to the perfect temperature. "It's good, but it isn't _just_ hot chocolate."

He did his eye thing while looking at her. "Tonight I thought you needed something stronger."

Elena took a few more sips before her hands began to shake. Damon looked at her and realized tears were streaming down her cheeks. He took the mug from her hands before she spilled her drink all over the rug.

"All this is my fault." She didn't even try to dry her face. "Stefan's in the tomb. Jeremy was attacked. Bonnie's willingly hurting herself. Caroline and Tyler are going to be killed in some twisted ritual. And almost everyone else I care about is in danger. And it's all because of me." Her shoulders shook as she dissolved into wordless sobs.

This was a side of Elena Damon hadn't seen before. Here she was - also very much on the in danger list - and she didn't care. Today she'd willingly attempted to offer herself up in their stead, not caring about the consequences to herself. And, thankfully, she'd been unsuccessful. Damon didn't know what he'd do if something happened to her and he was left without her - even if she wasn't really his to lose.

As her sobs grew louder, he realized she was truly broken.

But he didn't know what to do with _this_ Elena.

After everything she'd been through these past few weeks and months, she'd finally been given more than she could take. And he didn't know how to help. He reached out and pulled her to his shoulder, somewhat surprised when she didn't pull away.

"Shh." He stroked her hair. He desperately wanted to kiss her forehead, but he didn't want to do anything to cause her to leave his shoulder. "Shh..." Gradually, the pieces came together for him. No wonder she'd been so reckless today. She was desperately trying to fix something she viewed as her fault - something that had been set in motion centuries before she was born. "Elena." He pulled back and tilted her chin up so that she looked into his eyes. "This isn't your fault - no matter what you think. This is so much bigger than just being about you."

"But it is. I'm the sacrifice."

"I know that." And that knowledge stabbed him like a knife in the stomach. He wouldn't _let her_ be the sacrifice. "But you didn't chose this any more than you chose to be born. And if you hadn't been born, I, for one, would sadly miss you." He broke eye contact with her before she realized just how much more than friendship buzzed beneath his comment.

He reached out and picked the mug back up. It was cold now, but the alcohol was still there. "Finish this."

For once, Elena didn't argue with him. She tipped the cup back and finished it in two more gulps. She was still sniffling quietly when the combination of hot chocolate, fatigue, and alcohol hit her system. Her eyes began to close and soon she was softly snoring on his shoulder. Her soft warmth caused a gentle ache in his side. He scooped her up and carried her up the stairs and into her room. He carefully placed her in her bed and pulled the blankets around her. Standing above her for just a moment, he trailed his fingers over her cheek before brushing a kiss on her forehead.

"I _will_ keep you safe." He clicked her light off and returned to his place on the couch.


	2. Chapter 2

Author's note: Thanks for the review, follow, and favorites! Since this is a shorter story, I hadn't really announced it. I'm so excited so many of y'all found it already.

I still don't own TVD. Since I'm borrowing more heavily from an episode, I can't really say that the plot is mine this time. I will deviate from the plot of BTLOTM, but I'm also following it at some points.

* * *

"We appear to have some idle time on our hands, Stefan. _Whatever shall we do_?" Katherine reverted back to the Southern belle Stefan had once known. She fluttered her long eyelashes in his direction.

He glared at her and turned away. "Leave me alone."

"You know I don't _do_ bored." Katherine's voice took on a hard edge as she walked to Stefan's side. She stood next to him and ruffled his hair. "So noble..." Her lips tilted in a crooked grin. "You won't even look at me. Keeping yourself pure for your lovely Elena." She fingered the collar of his shirt. "We're not so different, you know."

"She's nothing like you." Stefan spat as he stood and walked away.

"Isn't she?" Katherine laughed. "You're seriously deluding yourself, Stefan. Don't you remember?" Her voice once again took on its Southern drawl.

"I remember it as if it were yesterday. Of course, for me, it almost was. Pearl and Anna had settled in Mystic Falls first. They told me it was the perfect place - quiet and remote - brimming with Southern hospitality. The war had largely overlooked the town except for all the young men who were away fighting. Even Emily even thought settling in the town for a time was a good idea. She looked forward to returning to her family's home."

Katherine took a few steps in Stefan's direction. "When I arrived, cloaked in the sadness of my family's recent death, I hardly expected to be greeted by such an earnest young man. Your father had prepared you with the story of my loss, and you were there to greet me. Immediately taking me into your protection, such the Southern gentleman. An orphaned young girl - no one left in the world - I felt quite sheltered in your care. It was...quite pleasant."

"In all my travels, so many men had lusted after me, but none had wanted to _know_ me. You were different, Stefan. You were the first one who truly cared about me. That was before Damon arrived and truly muddled things up - as always." She frowned and rolled her eyes. "But that's beside the point." She leaned over his shoulder and whispered into his ear. "A sad, young, orphaned girl. She needed someone to protect her...help her feel something again." Her eyes flashed. "Sound familiar?"

"But for Elena, the story was true." He didn't turn to look at her.

"It was for me as well."

* * *

"So, now we need to decide what to do with _Death Wish_ up there." Damon looked between Caroline, Bonnie, and Jeremy. He still couldn't believe this was the team he'd ended up working with - definitely not his group of choice.

"I don't think Elena was really trying to get herself killed." Bonnie winced at the thought.

Damon leaned forward and shook his head. "She sent a message saying she wanted to surrender to Klaus. Same difference." He massaged his temples. If he hadn't gotten there in time...he wasn't sure what would have happened.

"We have one more problem." Caroline stopped pacing and leaned against the back of the couch. "Tonight's the full moon."

"Tyler." Jeremy muttered under his breath.

"I can't let him do this alone." Caroline's eyes sparkled with tears. "You didn't see that video Mason made. It was..." She might have been scared out of her mind the night she turned, but watching how painful the werewolf transformation had been made her very thankful she was at the other end of the supernatural spectrum.

"Then you have Puppy Patrol." Damon sighed in exasperation. Now he was losing the one member he'd been most depending on to help keep Elena safe. "That leaves me with the two of you."

"What if I did a spell?"

"You know an anti-psychotic spell?" Damon looked impressed.

Bonnie shook her head. "No, but I could put a spell similar to the tomb spell on the house. I could make it Elena-specific. Everyone else can come and go, but she'd have to stay in the house."

Damon gave her an impressed grin. "That's actually a good idea."

"Is that _really_ such a surprise?"

"But what if she needs to leave?" Jeremy didn't look convinced. "I mean, it's hard enough keeping Jenna out of all this. She's going to think something's a little off if Elena can't get out the door to go to school."

Bonnie thought for a minute. "I could modify the spell so that she can leave as long as she's with someone. If one of us walks out the door with her, she can get out. If she's by herself, she can't."

Damon nodded. "Do it." He listened - everything was still quiet upstairs. Either Elena was really tired or he'd overestimated her alcohol tolerance. "You two have Elena-sitting duty first. I need to go check in on Stefan."

* * *

Jeremy looked at the clock while Bonnie turned the moonstone over and over in her fingers. That white stone had been obtained at too high a price. He wondered if Elena would ever forgive him if they were unable to free Stefan from the tomb.

Bonnie seemed to be able to read Jeremy's mind. "We'll get Stefan out. You can stop beating yourself up about it. It happened. It's over. We have to move on."

"It's not like we didn't already have enough to deal with."

"That's true." Bonnie realized breaking the moonstone curse now battled for priority with unlocking the tomb and freeing the person who had killed Caroline and almost succeeded in killing Jenna. "I've already tried to get a message to Lucy. My aunt may be able to reach her." Bonnie's attention stayed focused on the stone. "I don't know if she'll help, though. She's not Katherine's biggest fan."

"Is anyone?"

"Damon used to be." Bonnie smirked as she finally looked directly at Jeremy.

"But I think even he's over her now." Jeremy sat back in his chair and looked around the living room. Jenna had come home a few hours earlier, taken a shower, and rushed out muttering some surprising words about what Carol Lockwood could do with the visiting author. He didn't really have anything else to do this afternoon, but sitting in the living room with Bonnie was becoming increasingly awkward. "Do you think we should go check on her or something?"

The clock in the hall chimed one o'clock. "I'll go up." Bonnie was more than relieved to leave the room for a few minutes. She climbed the stairs and paused hesitantly in front of Elena's door. Tapping softly, she waited for a reply.

"I'm awake."

Bonnie pushed the door open and found Elena lying in bed - her pillow over her face.

"Don't try to tell me everything's going to be okay." Elena pulled the pillow down and held it over her stomach.

"I wouldn't dream of it." Bonnie perched on the side of the bed. She looked at the array of pictures on Elena's dresser and spied a picture of the pair of them at summer camp five years ago. Things had been so much simpler then. "I tell my friends the truth." She gazed sadly down at her friend. "Why'd you do it, Elena?"

Elena blinked at the ceiling. A crack snaked above her head. How long had that been there? She pulled her flowered blanket up to her chest. "Damon told you."

"He's worried about you." Bonnie found herself in the very unexpected position of being on Damon's side at the moment.

Elena fought back tears. She'd already melted into a blubbering mess on Stefan's, and, even surprising herself, Damon's shoulders. She was done with her tears. Now she was just angry. "I'm tired of not being in control. If I'm the center of all this." She waved her arms in a circle. "I want a say in when I die and who dies with me. Which," she fixed a determined expression on her face as she looked at Bonnie, "will be none of the rest of you."

"Elena." Bonnie scooted closer to her friend. "None of us blame you."

"You should." Elena shifted onto her side and pushed herself up on one elbow. "I'm going to go take a shower." Effectively ending the conversation, she walked into the bathroom and turned on the shower.

Jeremy stepped into the doorway.

"How much of that did you hear?" Bonnie flashed him a look of concern.

"Enough." Jeremy's severe expression showed the gravity of the situation hadn't escaped him. With Jenna out of the loop, the job of protecting his sister rested soundly on his shoulders.

"She's not going to stop trying." Bonnie stared at the closed bathroom door. She'd always admired her friend's tenacity - until now. Today, Elena's determination could likely cost her friend her life.

Jeremy drew himself up to his full height. "Then we just have to make sure she can't."

* * *

"_Knock, knock._" Damon lowered a knapsack to the dirt floor. "Stefan!" He wasn't going to leave the supplies he'd brought without seeing Stefan first. Katherine may have said she was there for Stefan, but he wanted to assure himself that she hadn't hurt his brother.

Stefan came to the tomb opening, and Damon was happy to see he only looked a little worse for wear. "What are you doing here?"

"Thought you'd like a few comforts from home." He tossed the knapsack in Stefan's direction as Katherine appeared in the shadows.

Stefan opened the bag and peered inside - curious to see what Damon regarded as an essential. He was pleasantly surprised at Damon's packing ability. Not only did he now possess a lantern and a couple of changes of clothes, Damon had retrieved the book Stefan had been reading from his nightstand.

"I'll be right back." Damon nodded to Stefan and headed back up the stone stairwell. Moments later, he appeared with two folding cots and a bundle of blankets. As he tossed them through the invisible barrier, he shrugged. "I'm not sure how long you're going to have to be down here. The little witch is working on getting you out."

"Thanks." Stefan gave his brother a surprised smile. "Don't worry about it. Make sure Bonnie's working on the moonstone - not trying to get me out."

"Oh, that'll go over well with Klaus." Damon had almost forgotten about Katherine's presence. "Damon, tell me you're really not trying to destroy the moonstone."

Damon glared in her direction. "That would be a lie."

"You're signing your death sentence."

"No, you did that many years ago." Damon turned his attention to a small cooler he'd carried in on his shoulder. He opened it and pulled out a bottle. "Stefan-diet approved." He shook it in his brother's direction.

Stefan's eyes burned with hunger, but he shook his head. "I can't."

"Come on, Stefan. We're not going through this again, are we?" For the past few weeks, Stefan had been markedly less martyr-like, and Damon had been happy with the change in his brother.

"If I take it, she'll have a chance to feed as well. I won't risk letting her get stronger."

"You're sure?" Damon zipped the bottle back into the bag.

Stefan nodded. He stood there and stared at Damon, an unasked question hanging in the air.

"She's fine, Stefan." Damon volunteered the answer. "Bonnie and Jeremy are with her right now. I might prefer to have a different team to work with, but I couldn't ask for two people more determined to keep her safe. Bonnie even spelled the house to keep her from leaving."

"She _what_?" Stefan's eyes widened with surprise.

Damon cringed. He'd momentarily forgotten he hadn't told Stefan about Elena's little adventure with Rose.

"Why did you do that, Damon?"

Damon pursed his lips. He didn't want to add to Stefan's worries by telling him what his currently-on-a-break girlfriend had been up to, but he wasn't sure how to avoid the discussion now.

"Damon!" Stefan glared daggers at his brother.

"You were probably wondering why I disappeared yesterday."

"That was on my list of things to discuss with you later, yes."

"Rose called me. It seems Elena tried to contact Klaus. She wanted to surrender. She was hoping to make a deal with him."

Whatever Stefan had been expecting - that wasn't it. He'd known Elena had taken all this personally, and she had every right to, since she was the sacrifice. His voice cracked. "She did what?"

"I got there in time." Damon thought he'd leave the part about Elijah showing up out of the story. "But I can't be sure she's not going to try again. That's why she's locked in her house."

Stefan's last reserve of strength faded. He leaned against the wall, a shadow of doubt coming over his face. He'd willingly taken Jeremy's place, but he hadn't thought about the implications of no longer being able to protect Elena.

"Stefan." Damon read the despair on his brother's face. "I promise you. I won't let anything hurt her - not even herself."

* * *

Elena finished blowdrying her hair and listened carefully. She could hear the unmistakable sounds of Jeremy's favorite video game downstairs. Peeking into her bedroom, she saw with relief that Bonnie had finally left her alone for a few minutes.

Ever since she'd woken up that afternoon, one or the other of them had been with her. She wasn't sure what they thought she was going to do - jump out the window...although, that would probably be easier than sneaking out the front door.

She snatched her purse off her floor and pulled it onto her shoulder. At the last second, she threaded a needle through a scarf and stuffed it into her purse. Scurrying down the stairs, she glanced into the living room and was pleased to see Bonnie and Jeremy both occupied by the game.

Taking a deep breath, she ran across the foyer, threw open the front door, and promptly found herself bouncing backwards into the bannister at the base at the stairwell. She looked at her purse, checking to see if the shoulder strap had looped over something, but it didn't seem to be caught. She stood up massaging her back. Slowly, she walked to the still-open front door and attempted to walk out again - only to be met by an invisible barrier.

"I told you she'd try to sneak out." Jeremy stood in the entry hall with his arms crossed in front of him. "Dad threatened her with putting an alarm system on the house to keep her in back in April."

"What did you do?" Elena rounded on her brother.

"Technically, I did it." Bonnie came and took her place at Jeremy's side. "We can't let you leave."

"You locked me in here?" Elena's face fell. "I thought we were friends."

"Stefan doesn't want to see you, Elena." Bonnie's voice was full of compassion.

"But he _needs_ me." Elena choked on the words.

Bonnie walked to her friend's side and wrapped her in her arms. "Elena, don't make this any harder on him. He asked Damon to keep you away for now."

"I never thought I'd see the day you took Damon's side." Angry tears spilled down Elena's face.

"Trust me - no one's more surprised than I am." She wiped Elena's tears from her face. "But right now, he's right."

* * *

Elena sat stiffly on the couch. The television was on, but if someone asked her what she was watching, she wouldn't have been able to tell them. Night had fallen, and Bonnie had been gone for over an hour. Convinced that Elena was safely stuck inside the house, Jeremy was upstairs listening to music at a volume so loud she could feel it vibrating the floor vibrating downstairs.

"You're sure you don't want anything?" Jenna came out of the kitchen. She stared at her niece as she dried the last of the dinner dishes.

"I'm not hungry." Elena jumped at the knock on the door.

"That better not be that author. On the phone, he told me he wouldn't be coming by till tomorrow. I can't believe Carol Lockwood talked me into doing this..." Jenna walked to the front door. "Oh, it's you."

"And a pleasure to see you as always." Damon's voice carried into the foyer. "Elena home?"

Jenna sounded suspicious as she answered. "Why do you want to know?"

"Just something Stefan said. I wanted to come by and check on her."

Jenna stepped back from the door and motioned toward the living room. She didn't understand the odd connection the three of them shared; but Alaric seemed to like Damon, so she decided to let him in. "Can you see if you can get her to eat something? I don't think she's eaten all day."

The irony of the statement wasn't lost on Damon. He'd just come from trying to convince Stefan to do that very thing. "How are you holding up?"

"How do you think?" Elena narrowed her eyes at him.

"Well, aren't you just a ray of sunshine on this unusually pleasant evening?"

"I wouldn't know. Someone had my friend lock me in my house."

Damon wasn't convinced that Jenna hadn't heard that last not-so-whispered whisper. "No reason for you not to enjoy the evening." He extended his arm to her and inclined his head toward the front door.

"Damon, I'm locked in the house."

Damon had to stifle a laugh. Bonnie hadn't told Elena about the loophole. She and Jeremy were probably afraid to let Elena walk outside, though. She'd texted him about Elena's little escape attempt. "Not as long as I'm with you."

Relief evident on her face, she cautiously approached Damon's side.

"It isn't a joke. You can leave as long as you're with me, Jeremy, or Bonnie." Damon placed her hand in the crook of his arm and escorted her through the front door. "This is probably far enough." He motioned to the porch swing.

Elena sat down and pulled the pillow onto her lap. A fraction of the tension she'd felt today leaked from her since she no longer felt like a caged animal. "It is nice out."

Damon took a seat next to her, pleasantly surprised when she didn't slide away.

"If you were so afraid I was going to leave, where have you been all day?"

He hesitated for a minute - not wanting to bring up a sensitive subject. "I was making sure Stefan was alright."

"You saw Stefan?" Her eyes lit with excitement but they were quickly clouded by anger. "Why won't you let me see him?"

"First, yes, I saw Stefan. I took him a few supplies." He was rewarded by watching Elena relax for the first time of the evening. "Since we're not sure how long he'll be there, I wanted to make sure he's ok. He now has blankets, a cot, his favorite book...you'd be impressed by what I carried down there." He did his eye thing in her direction.

She twisted in her seat and used her doe eyes for their full effect. "But why won't you let me see him?"

_Because he told me not to... Because in a few more days you won't want to see what he's become.._. He struggled for the right thing to say. He lightly wrapped his arm around her shoulder. "Trust me, it's easier for both of you this way."


	3. Chapter 3

Author's note: I don't own TVD - just borrowing the characters for a bit. I'll give them back by the time hiatus is over...oh, who am I kidding? I'll be working on a different story by then.

This chapter took an unexpected turn. I hadn't anticipated all this backstory, but Damon just started talking and I had to write it down. Hope y'all enjoy it!

Thanks for all your support. Reviews make an author's day.

* * *

Elena sat in the far corner of the porch swing. The cool evening breeze washed over her arms, and she fought back a shiver. She wasn't ready to go back inside where she was forced to wrestle with the visions and images her mind kept pulling to the forefront of her thoughts. How was Stefan faring in the tomb? What was he doing with Katherine? Why wouldn't he let her come see him?

Damon seemed to feel her unease. "Tired?"

"No, just thinking." She lightly pushed off from the porch. The swing listedevery so slightly back and forth as she struggled to find a new topic of conversation to avoid going back in the house. "Is it odd for you to be back?"

"On your porch?"

Elena laughed softly. "No..._here._ In Mystic Falls. I mean, I know why Stefan stayed." She frowned. "Or at least I think I do, but I don't know why you stayed. I don't get the feeling you've ever stayed in one place for too long. It can't be easy for you to be here. The town has to be full of memories."

Of course it was hard for him to be here, but not for the reasons Elena was thinking. Here, on the porch, he was close enough to Elena to hear the gentle whisper of her heartbeat in her chest. The soft scent of her shampoo perfumed the air around her. Being in Mystic Falls was a cakewalk compared to sitting this close to Elena - knowing she'd never truly be his...and that he was the one who'd made that choice.

"Damon? Did I say something wrong?" Elena had shifted forward in her seat and was staring at him in concern.

"No. It's fine." He brushed off her comment. "Yes, there are a lot of memories here." His eyes fixed on the steps of her porch where he'd poured his heart out to her...only to discover he'd been deceived by Katherine yet again. He studied Elena as she sat next to him. She reached up and massaged her neck - a habit he'd begun to associate with when she felt almost overwhelming stress.

She'd asked about his past - a topic generally closed and locked both to himself and others. _Hell_, he didn't even discuss their youth with Stefan.

But Elena was different. _What was one more sacrifice for her?_

Slowly, he began...his speech reverting back to that of an earlier time. "Sitting out here on your swing, if I close my eyes I can imagine I'm back with Sarah Ann. Her family wasn't one of the founding families. They'd moved here when she was 10. I'd instantly been taken with her. She was quiet and shy, _not really my type_. But she was new and a challenge. Her hair was as bright as spun gold. I couldn't resist. On the first day she was at school, I tugged one of her braids. She screamed and Miss Pritchett descended on me. I earned myself 10 lashes with the ruler, but I didn't mind. She knew who I was, and she never forgot." He gave a satisfied smirk.

"It was years before we were really together. Father spoke with her father, Dr. Gray. Both families were important to the town. We were considered a good match. In 1859, I'd only just begun to truly court her. Her aunt was frightening beyond words. Whatever rules she put in place, I was certain to follow. She finally consented to let me come sit on the porch with Sarah - the front curtain was always pulled open so there'd be no hint of impropriety. As if I'd even think of doing something improper with her..."

Elena tried to stifle a laugh, but only succeeded in making a barely-concealed choking sound.

"You scoff?" He tilted his head and raised an eyebrow in her direction. "I was the perfect Southern gentleman in those days." He shook his head and continued the story - pleased to see that Elena had settled back on the swing and had relaxed the stiff set of her shoulders.

"What happened to her?"

"It was a different time back then. Mystic Falls had been so isolated - without even a train station, we seldom saw the epidemics that struck the rest of the country; but that winter, we weren't so lucky. Diphtheria hit the town when I was 19, and she was 17. Her father was quickly overwhelmed, and she was the logical choice to act as his nurse since her mother had passed away several years earlier." Damon took a breath. He hadn't discussed this with anyone in years, and he really wasn't sure why he'd decided this was the best way to pass the time tonight with Elena. Now that he'd started the story, he couldn't really stop telling her what happened.

"I didn't see her for days. When I finally did, it was because Stefan had fallen ill. Father wouldn't let me see him - that was the first time I'd ever seen him truly afraid. He brought Stefan downstairs into his room, it was easier to keep him away from the rest of us living in the house. Sarah Ann brought what medicine the town had left...which wasn't much. That afternoon when she came out of his room, I've never seen her look that tired or that afraid. She wouldn't answer me when I asked her how he was. She just shook her head and ran out of the house. But she couldn't keep it a secret any longer. I'd been waiting outside Father's room. I knew how sick Stefan was. Before that, I'd snuck around the side of the house. With the window cracked to let in fresh air, I'd been able to hear him as he struggled to breathe. Sometimes he'd cough so hard only to completely stop breathing, and I thought he'd died. Father never left his side. I sat outside the window all night long in that frigid air. I counted every breath he took. No one noticed my absence. By the next morning, it was clear that the worst was over. He was going to be alright, obviously, but it took months for him to get his strength back. I think that's why Father paid the conscription agent a few years later. He'd already come too close to losing Stefan once. He didn't want to do it again. Me, on the other hand..." Damon shrugged and shook his head. "That always struck me as funny - Stefan was the one who believed in the ideals of the fight, and I was the one who went to war."

"What about Sarah Ann?" Elena probed, only half-wanting to hear the answer. Somehow she knew this story didn't have a happy ending.

Damon hesitated and cleared his throat. "I'd known Sarah was tired. I'd seen that in the shadows beneath her eyes, but I wasn't prepared for what happened. I hadn't really been worried about her at all. She was almost my age - we didn't die from diphtheria. But she _did_ get sick. She fell ill that very night. She'd been working too hard - trying to do too much. She was gone by the next morning." He stopped and looked down at his hand.

At some point during the retelling of the story, Elena had taken his hand in hers. Tears pooled in her eyes. Her warmth spread into him. "I'm so sorry. I didn't know."

"It was a long time ago, Elena." Damon cleared his throat. His phone buzzed in his pocket. Frowning, he reluctantly released her hand and dug into his pocket._ Ric?_ He stood and walked to the far side of the porch, careful to keep his eyes on Elena. He didn't put it past her to use his momentary distraction to her benefit. "I'll meet you at my house in a few minutes."

"Something wrong?"

Damon forced a smile. He'd already shaken his melancholy and was attempting to be his normal self, so Elena decided to play along. "No. Ric just ran into someone new at the Grill. _Miss Gilbert_." He extended his elbow in her direction. "May I escort you back to your house?" Feeling slightly confused, Elena stood and laced her hand into the crook of his arm. He guided her to the door and opened it for her. He waited for her to walk inside. "Have a good night, Elena."

"Good night, Damon. Thank you...for being honest with me."

"Always."

She smiled hesitantly. She hadn't realized exactly what she'd done when she'd brought up the past. Stepping to the front window, she watched as Damon crossed the yard and stepped into his car.

Dropping into the driver's seat, Damon thudded his head against the headrest. He'd never planned on telling that much of the story. Somehow Elena always was able to get him to tell more than he intended to. It was worth it. He could still feel a shadow of the warmth of her fingers wrapped around his.

But now he had something else to worry about. Someone was looking for Mason, _that couldn't be good_. Alaric's words tumbled through his mind as he raced through the town.

Why would a woman drop into town and and be searching for Mason tonight? The full moon hung high overhead as he pulled into the driveway, Alaric's white SUV was already parked in a driveway.

"Where have you been?" Alaric leaned against his car and yelled to Damon.

"Elena-duty."

"What?"

"Your almost step-daughter has developed some mildly suicidal tendencies." Damon frowned. "Someone has to stay with her. It was my shift."

_"Do I really want to know?"_

"Probably not...I'm going to tell you anyway. Elena wants to make a deal with Klaus."

"That's the original vampire you were telling me about?"

"That would be the one. She thinks that by turning herself in, she'll be protecting everyone else." Damon poured two glasses of bourbon and handed one to his friend. He was sure they'd both be needing a buzz before the night was over.

Alaric exhaled slowly. Yet one more thing he had to work to keep Jenna from learning. He downed the bourbon in a single gulp and poured himself a refill. "So, when's my shift?"

Damon's words were interrupted by a thudding at the door.

"Were you expecting anyone?"

"No." Damon's voice took on a steely-edge as he reached for the wooden stake he'd begun to keep next to the door. He motioned for Alaric to move out of sight when he cracked the door.

"Damon." Rose's spoke in a hoarse whisper as she tumbled in the door - a rapidly spreading red stain on her shoulder. "_Werewolf_."

* * *

Stefan stretched out on the cot and tried to get comfortable...again. His thirst was so intense every pore in his body ached. Ever since he'd taken on his immortal form, he'd been immune to feeling the cold - until tonight. He fought against the shivers that threatened to overwhelm him as he fought the nightmares and twisted dreams he knew sleep would bring.

"When did you feed last?" Katherine sat on her cot with her legs extended in front of her. "Before your ever-so-valiant attempt to retrieve the moonstone, I'm sure. Elena couldn't be bothered to give you a little sip to help ensure your success?"

"Stop it." He rolled on his side to face the stone wall.

"But I'm not tired."

"If you so desperately want to talk, why don't you tell me why you really came back?"

Katherine rolled her eyes as she shifted her weight from one foot to the other. She reached out and tugged his shoulder to roll him back to face her. "Stefan." Her voice took on the tone of a mother speaking to a very young child. "_We've been over this._ I came back for you. I don't understand why you don't believe me."

"Why should I? When did you ever tell me the truth?"

"Point taken." She nodded her head. "But I only lied about the unimportant things. I really did love you." She circled him and knelt in front of him. "_And you loved me._" She backed away. "Oh, don't get worked up again. I know you've moved on...I can see how well that worked out for you." She chuckled. "You really should admit to yourself, though, that you did feel something for me." She stared at the stiff set of his shoulders. "Why else would you have stayed here when you saw her? You saw in her a chance to fall in love with me all over again."

"She's nothing like you."

Katherine's lips turned into a grin. "But you didn't know that when you first met her. Admit it, Stefan. Confession's good for the soul. When you pulled her out of the water, your heart raced. You thought you'd found me."

She waited for Stefan's answer, but it didn't come.

"You're still not convinced." She slid down the wall onto the damp earth. "Here's the deal. You want to know why I came back? You want me to prove that I care about you? Maybe this will convince you."

"Really, it's all Damon's fault." She shook her head. "If that lovesick puppy hadn't convinced Emily to save me, none of this would have had to happen. Once he opened that tomb, and the others got out, word began to spread that I wasn't in the tomb. I knew Klaus would hear about it and come looking. And when he investigated, he'd find her. I already knew who she was. I'd figured out that much when Isobel told me her daughter looked just like me. I'd always kept track of my family line - much safer that way. I knew it was only a matter of time. I was surprised, though to discover when the next doppleganger finally arrived to find you standing at her side." She stretched one leg out in front of her and hugged her other knee. "_I couldn't have that_."

Her chocolate brown eyes locked with his and for an instant, Stefan forgot he was talking with Katherine. She continued. "When Klaus finds out about Elena, he will take her...no matter who's standing in his way. He. Will. Kill. You." Her voice became heavy with emotion. "And I can't let that happen because I couldn't live with myself if anything happened to you."

For an instant, she was the girl he'd fallen in love with all those years ago. She stroked his cheek, and he didn't pull away. "Admit it, Stefan. Be honest with yourself for once. Be honest with me. In 1864..."

He choked out an answer - barely realizing he was speaking aloud. "It was real."

* * *

I know this is a short chapter for me, but it was unusually "heavy." It was a little different than I'd planned, but sometimes I have to go with what my characters want to say. The next sections are equally intense, and I decided to break this into two parts. I'll try to have the next chapter up on Thursday to make up for the brevity of this one.

As always, reviews make the fingers type faster. Thanks a million!


	4. Chapter 4

Author's note: Nope, I don't own TVD. I wish I did, though. I'm sorry for the delay in posting. During the past 48 hours, my grandmother has been admitted to the hospital, and my son spent the day in the emergency room. Things have been less than ideal for writing (at least not writing well...)

Before we get started...there is NO Damon/Elena interaction in this chapter. They both have other issues they're dealing with. They will meet back up in chapter 5 (the last chapter in this story). I really believe it'll be worth the wait.

Rating: M - mild language, some mild adult content, violence

Wow, when I said reviews would make my fingers type faster, y'all truly put me to the test. I was blown away by the comments on the last chapter. Thanks so much! As I mentioned in a few of my replies, I was truly uncertain about that last chapter, so it was a pleasant surprise to discover so many of y'all enjoyed it. Thanks!

* * *

Elena scrubbed her teeth and glared at Jeremy as he joined her in the bathroom. He stood next to her and calmly ran his hairbrush through his dark hair. Finally, she couldn't take it any longer. She picked up her glass, swished water in her mouth, and spat into the sink. "You could have at least told me I could go outside as long as you were with me."

"And risk you getting away from me?" He shook his head. "I wasn't getting blamed for that. I haven't been able to catch you since you were 10. Getting Stefan stuck in the tomb was one thing. If I lost you..._Damon's already showed me he can get my ring off_." Jeremy flexed his fingers in her direction.

"Hey guys, a little help down here?" Jenna's voice was muffled. She'd spent most of the morning scurrying around the house trying to ready everything for the author's arrival.

Elena flashed her brother one more annoyed glance as she jogged down the stairs. "Jenna? Where are you?" She could hear papers rustling, but she saw no sign of her aunt.

"Down here." Jenna's voice came from behind the door leading to the basement. A loud thud came from behind the door. Apparently, Jenna had discovered the issue with the door.

Pulling the door open, Elena peeked inside. Ever since she'd done a particularly good job of concealing herself during a game of hide and seek, leading to being locked in the darkened basement for almost three hours while her father dismantled the old doorknob, she'd been reluctant to cross the basement threshold.

"Oh, thanks." Jenna sighed in relief as she dropped an overflowing box onto the floor. "That door sticks."

"I remember. Jeremy, are you coming?" Elena stepped back and called up to the second floor.

"The author called this morning, and he's on his way. I forgot to get these boxes ready for him last night. Can you help me bring everything up?" Jenna clapped Jeremy on the shoulder. "You're just in time." She slid the box in front of the door, forcing it to stand open. "Let's not get locked in." Jenna turned and descended the stairwell, followed closely by Elena and Jeremy.

"When did all this stuff get in here?" Jeremy looked around in wonder. In the past, their parents had kept a few boxes with family mementos; but now the basement was filled with what seemed to be most of the records from Founder's Hall.

Elena peeked into a box of overflowing papers. "This wasn't here when I was down here last." The papers had the appearance of being hastily thrown into their containers. Some right side up, others face down. Photographs and various official records were jumbled together with yellowed pieces of parchment.

"I think your mom brought all this here when Founder's Hall was being remodeled. She said it was safer since she didn't want the contractors accidentally spilling paint on any of this. She just never had a chance to take it back." Jenna rifled through some of the papers while she attempted to separate boxes filled with Gilbert history from those belonging to the city of Mystic Falls. She unexpectedly burst out laughing. "When did you take this?"

Elena turned to see Jenna holding up an aged photograph. Without even waiting for her eyes to focus, Elena knew she wasn't the one in the picture. _Katherine._

"I don't recognize the house." Jenna blinked at the picture and held it under the dim light.

Elena took the picture from her aunt's hand. "Umm." She tried to think of a story her aunt would believe. "I think it was during the field trip last year to Richmond. We went for that living history day." She studied the house in the background. She may never have seen that house before, but she recognized it from the stories she'd been told. Katherine was standing in the maze outside the Salvatore manor. "This must be Gilbert stuff." Elena picked up the box and placed it to the side before Jenna could see the next item on the stack - a picture of Elena. All annoyance with her brother forgotten for the moment, she tapped his arm as she nodded to the picture of herself. Whoever had been looking in this box last had been comparing the picture of Elena to the picture of Katherine.

The doorbell rang and Jenna shook her head and jogged up the stairs. "Of course, he's early."

"Elena?" She turned to see Jeremy holding a gray notebook. He thumbed through the pages, revealing a barely legible scrawl mixed with assorted sketches. "This shouldn't be here."

"What is it?" Her annoyance with her brother was overcome by her curiosity.

"One of Jonathan Gilbert's journals." He hastily slid it into his pocket. "Uncle John said they were all locked up. What's this one doing here?" He looked at Katherine's picture in his sister's hand. "Especially combined with that..."

Elena suddenly had the feeling that there was much more going on here than even she was aware of. Before she could answer, though, Jenna yelled into the basement, "Hey you two, we could use some help loading his car."

Jeremy picked up the last of the boxes Jenna had placed in the section intended for the historian. "Can I trust you?" He looked accusingly at Elena.

"I'll stay with you. I promise." She followed him up the stairs and stooped to pick up a medium sized box.

"I do appreciate your assistance. I assure you, I'll return everything as soon as possible."

Elena recognized his voice before she saw his face. She stumbled and dropped the box, spilling its contents in the hallway.

"Please, let me help." Elijah locked eyes with Elena. "You wouldn't want to hurt yourself carrying such a heavy box, now would you?"

* * *

Damon came down the stairs to find Rose in the exact place he'd left her the night before. After taking a shower and changing clothes, she'd settled on the edge of the couch and stared into the fire. She didn't appear to have moved at all throughout the night. He tilted his head to the side and stepped into her line of sight. "How are you feeling?" She'd been on the verge of hysterics when she arrived. Once she realized her death didn't seem to be upon her, she'd calmed down and allowed Damon to study her wound.

Rose slowly rotated her shoulder. "Fine. I think. It's a little stiff." She peeled back her robe and cringed. While the bite itself appeared to be gone, it left a section of blistered skin in its place. "Well, that's lovely." She pulled her collar back up and sat back on the couch. "I'm sorry, Damon."

Damon sat on the other end of the couch. "That a werewolf bit you? Somehow, I don't think that was planned."

"Not that." Rose stared at the floor. "For running away. When I saw Elijah...I'd been running for so long. I panicked. I never meant to run. I told you that I'd help you protect Elena, and I meant it." She tried to shrug but ended up wincing in pain. "That's why I came back. Running into a werewolf in the woods wasn't _exactly_ part of the plan." She rolled her eyes. "Real werewolves..._Slater would have loved this place."_

Damon clasped his hands in front of himself, realizing just how much she'd lost in such a short period of time. Of course, she'd brought most of it on herself. If she hadn't kidnapped Elena to give him to Elijah, Trevor would still be at her side. "You stay here. I'll go get you something to drink."

* * *

School had passed in a blur. Jenna asked Elena how much homework she had, but Elena wasn't even sure. More than one teacher had commented on her lack of focus in class. She'd be lucky if Jenna didn't have a phone call from one of them before the night was over.

The doorbell rang and Elena jumped - knocking over a glass filled with ice water.

"Elena, are you feeling okay?" Jenna looked skeptically at Elena as she walked to the front door.

"I'm fine." Of course the vampire wouldn't decide to arrive via the front door. If she was going to survive the night, she had to calm down. She scooped the ice into a dishtowel and dropped it into the sink. She let out a sigh of relief as she heard Alaric's voice. Looking down, she realized her shirt was soaked. "Um, Jenna, I'll be right back down."

Jenna pulled away from Alaric's embrace and glanced at her niece - the large discolored area from the spill making Elena's trip upstairs understandable.

Elena tried to steady her nerves as she ascended the stairs. She already had a good idea of what would be waiting for her. Pushing the door open, she felt her hands begin to tremble in fear as she once again came face to face with the most powerful vampire she'd ever met.

"You're afraid." He crossed the room in a flash and closed the door behind her. "But you're not surprised."

"I've actually gotten used to finding vampires in my bedroom."

Elijah chuckled in honest amusement. "You are _so _like her."

"Like Katherine?"

"Klaus will be very pleased."

At the mention of Klaus' name, Elena's mouth went dry.

"Elena, are you coming?" Alaric spoke from outside the doorway. Elijah pressed his fingers against his lips in warning.

She cracked the door open and looked out into the hall. "Just a second. Bonnie called. She needed to talk. I'll be right down."

"We're going to start without you." Alaric backed toward the stairs.

"That's fine. Don't wait on me. I'm really not that hungry." Elena closed the door and turned back to face Elijah. "Are you here to take me?"

"Is that what you really want? Me to take you to Klaus?" Elijah took a seat on the edge of the window seat.

Elena felt her jaw tighten as she fought to keep her lip from trembling. "What I want is to keep my family and my friends safe."

"And you'd give yourself in their stead." Elijah gave her an appraising look. "Perhaps you're not as much like her as I thought."

"Please don't hurt them." She could hear Jeremy's laughter coming up from the dining room downstairs.

"I wouldn't dream of it. At least not after we work out an agreement."

"What sort of agreement?"

"One that would protect those you care most about." Elijah tented his fingers in front of him.

"You can do that?"

Elijah smiled as if he were an indulgent grandfather. "When you have the right sort of witches on your side, just as I happen to have."

Elena took a step in his direction. "And what do I need to do?"

"Absolutely nothing." He stood and closed the distance between them. He ran his index finger along her jawline and down her throat - trailing down until he reached the top of her blouse. "Just stay here. Keep yourself safe. No more looking for Klaus. That's my responsibility."

"You don't know where he is." Elena's voice was filled with accusation.

"Let's just say that he does a brilliant job of ensuring he keeps himself hidden. But hearing about you...that will guarantee his emergence into society." He pushed her hair back over her shoulder. "So, do we have a deal? As long as you stay here don't attempt to find him again, your family and friends stay safe."

Too confused to truly weigh the implications of the agreement, Elena tilted her head up and stared directly into his face. "One more thing."

* * *

"But even if it was real then, that doesn't change my feelings for you now." Stefan's head throbbed and he dropped it into his hands. He had long since tired of this thread of conversation, especially since it seemed to be amusing Katherine so much.

He didn't have to look at Katherine to know what expression was on her face as she answered. "I wouldn't be so sure about that." She came to stand directly in front of him.

"I am." He looked back up at Katherine - not surprised to see her licking her lips seductively. Something inside him twisted, and he exploded in rage. "I hate you." He drove her into the wall. "Whatever feelings that were between us then..._mine are gone_."

"Oh, Stefan." She cupped his cheek in her hand. "As your friend Lexi was so fond of saying, when it's real, you can't walk away."

Katherine told him she'd followed him through the years, but he assumed it was a lie. "This time, Lexi was wrong." Stefan growled deep in his chest but was interrupted from his next act by a noise outside. Dirt crunched in the outer chamber of the tomb. Reluctantly, he released his hold on Katherine and bent to pick up the lantern.

He approached the tomb opening, Katherine a few steps behind him. "Elijah." Katherine's voice choked in her throat.

"And a pleasure to see you this evening as well." Elijah was flanked by two unfamiliar men - one noticeably younger than the other. "Hello, Stefan. Your freedom has been arranged."

"What?" Stefan's brow furrowed. He stepped forward, only to be blocked again.

"You can thank the lovely Elena. She will be happy to explain the conditions of our agreement."

"She made a deal with you?" Katherine took a step back from the invisible barrier.

"And she struck a very hard bargain." He smiled coldly at her. "She's definitely part of your lineage. Her fire might even burn brighter than yours."

The torches flared and the older man cleared his throat.

"Stefan, if you please." Elijah nodded to Stefan. Stefan tentatively pressed against what once was a solid barrier and was surprised to smoothly walk through. "I will be requiring your services as well. Word of Elena's existence is spreading even as we speak. Others shall arrive to attempt to take her, and they'll likely be far more dangerous than I." Elijah turned to Katherine. "My dear, you'll be staying here. Klaus will want to see you."

"He's coming?" Katherine's eyes widened in very real fear. "Stefan, you can't trust him."

"Oh, you wound me. _I_ was not the one who broke our bargain." Danger flared in Elijah's eyes and Stefan was transfixed by the sight of someone who so truly terrified Katherine.

"Stefan, please. If anything between us was ever real, please believe me. You _can't_ trust him."

"You may go." Elijah turned and addressed Stefan. It wasn't a request - it was an order.

Stefan took one last look between the two vampires. Katherine's eyes pleaded with him. "Isobel can help you. You have to find Isobel. She'll help you keep Elena safe." Katherine's cries followed him out into the night.


	5. Chapter 5

Author's note: I've had a few questions about why Elena didn't tell Damon that Elijah had been invited into her house. At this point, Elena is still on something of a self-sacrificial kick. She would rather die at Elijah (or Klaus' hands) instead of knowing Damon fought and died for her.

Also, since I worried more than a few readers, my grandmother is still in the hospital. She's scheduled to have surgery tomorrow. My son's health issues are ongoing, and we're continuing to do some diagnostic tests.

Rating: T (yes, I lowered the rating) - some mild adult content, language, violence

From here, we've finished the events of "By the Light of the Moon." We're crossing into "The Descent" as I would have like to have had it written - but I admit, this is a very unlikely scenario. I still had fun with it, and I hope you do as well.

And in keeping with all good TVD episodes, I have a musical cue in this chapter. (After all, it's the last part of this "episode.") If you have it available, you might want to find "Almost Lover" by A Fine Frenzy. I'll let you know when to play it.

I still don't own TVD. Yes, it would be totally cool if I did.

* * *

Elena woke up in a blur. Had the events from last night really happened? She'd been sitting in her windowseat, thinking back to her agreement with Elijah. Something about the exchange bothered her as she thought about what he'd said. When he met her in her bedroom, she was so overcome by his offer...the thought that her family and friends would be safe...she didn't pay attention to the words. He never told her what would happen to her.

_What had she agreed to?_

The night was dark, much darker than she expected from a night just past full moon. The darkness outside reflected the intensity of her mood.

Then he was there.

The window acted as a mirror, and she saw his ghost of a smile. She stood, spun around, and found herself in his arms. Any questions of how Elijah had gotten him out or what she'd agreed to were long forgotten.

He was really here. She felt the hardness of his muscles beneath his shirt. Her lips crashed to his and their bodies entwined on her bed. As he reached to switch off the light, she thought she saw a hint of darkening around his eyes.

But that had been a dream, hadn't it? The burning mix of pleasure and pain at her throat...that wasn't real. All her memories of the night were foggy and distorted from that point on. His lips caressed her neck, but something more was there.

Now, in the morning's light, Elena pushed herself up on her elbows. She blinked in confusion as she struggled to make sense of the evening's events. She was reminded of when she had the flu two years ago. But somehow, she didn't think this was the flu. She hesitantly reached up and ran a finger over her neck.

She winced in pain as she found two tiny pinpricks.

It hadn't been a nightmare.

Grabbing her robe out of the closet, she turned and hurried to the bathroom - stumbling as she crossed the threshold and slamming into the doorframe.

"Elena?" Jenna pushed the bedroom door open. "Are you okay?" Jenna's eyes were wide as she stared at her niece. "You're white as a sheet."

Elena realized she couldn't talk her way out of this one. "I'm not feeling too well this morning. I think I might be coming down with something."

Jenna pressed her hand to Elena's forehead. "You don't feel hot. Or at least I don't think you do." She narrowed her lips into a thin line. "Maybe you should stay home today."

The room swayed under Elena's feet and she tightened her grip on the door. "I think that might be a good idea."

"I'll call the school." She stepped back and took a closer look at Elena. "I can't stay home. I have a meeting with my advisor today. Will you be okay?"

"I'll be fine, Jenna. Don't worry about me. I'll take my shower and go back to bed." Elena backed into the bathroom and shut the door behind her.

* * *

"How'd you get out?" Damon leaned into Stefan's room.

"I'm still not sure." Stefan ran a towel through his wet hair. "Elijah said he made a deal with Elena."

"A deal?" Damon sped to his brother's side. "What kind of a deal?"

"I don't know. He said Elena would explain it."

"And did she?"

Stefan frowned. "I haven't asked her yet."

Damon narrowed his eyes and stared intently at his brother. "Have you seen her?"

"I went to her house, but we got _distracted."_

"You got distracted..." He stood, mere inches from Stefan's face. "Had you fed first?"

Stefan looked at the ground.

"Stefan!" Damon gripped his brother by the neck and slammed him to the wall. "You hadn't eaten in days. You were too stubborn to take the blood I brought you. Is Elena alright?"

"She's fine. It wasn't like last time. I would never hurt her."

"That's what you said about Emma." Something about Stefan's expression left Damon less than certain. "Of all the careless..." He released his grip from Stefan's neck and spun to leave the room. Stefan's phone buzzed, and Damon stopped and picked it up. _"Ric?"_ With a questioning look, he tossed the phone to his brother.

"Yeah. Thanks." Stefan turned so that his back was to Damon. "It would probably be easier with you there. I'll be ready."

"Ready for what?" Damon leaned against the door jam.

"We're going to talk to John. We think he can help us find Isobel."

A crash and a scream echoed from downstairs. "Rose?" Damon hesitated, not finished with his conversation with his brother. "This conversation isn't over."

* * *

Elena knocked at the door, but no one answered. Hearing voices from within, she pushed the door open.

"How bad is it?"

Damon's answer was muddled, and Elena couldn't make it out.

"Don't lie to me, Damon." Rose's voice was sharp. Elena stepped into the living room. Rose sat perched on the edge of the couch, cradling her head in her hands. Damon gently lowered the shoulder strap of Rose's blouse back in place.

Damon cleared his throat as he fought for words. "I'm going to find out how to fix this." He turned to pick up a glass filled with a deep red liquid and seemed surprised to find Elena in the room. That was a first...he must have been totally distracted. "Here, you need to keep your strength up." He forced a smile and looked in Elena's direction. "Don't you have school?"

"Not today." Elena adjusted her scarf as she nodded toward the kitchen. "Is she going to be alright?" Her eyes were wide with fear. "Her back looks so much worse."

"I don't know." Damon admitted. He clenched the glass he held in his hand so tightly that Elena was afraid it was about to shatter. His voice lowered an octave. "I need to find Jules."

"Ok." Elena sighed. "You go find Jules and figure out how to help Rose. I'll stay with her."

"I'm not sure."

"Really, Damon, I'll be fine with her. She's my friend too. I want you to find out how to help her."

Damon turned to leave but stopped himself. "One more thing." He reached out and took hold of her arm. "How did you get Stefan out?"

Elena's face fell. "He's been here."

"Yep, but he was a little fuzzy on the details. You made a deal with Elijah?"

Elena pulled her arm out of his grasp. "I did what I had to do, Damon. I wasn't going to leave him in there if there was a way to get him out." Elena looked in Rose's direction. "She's getting weaker. You need to go."

"We'll talk about this later." He grabbed his leather jacket from the back of the chair and pulled it on.

"I'm sure we will." Elena's jaw clenched as she was once again reminded that she wasn't exactly certain of the details of her agreement with Elijah. She knew Damon was going to be less-than-thrilled with that news.

* * *

"So, why are we here again?" Alaric parked his SUV in front of a row of townhouses. He unbuckled his seatbelt as he turned to look at Stefan.

"I need to find Isobel."

"And you think John's going to help you?" Alaric looked doubtfully at Stefan.

Stefan shook his head. "No. I think John's going to help _you."_

Alaric nodded. Now the pieces were falling into place. Stefan needed a buffer when dealing with Elena's father, so he brought the somewhat-stepfather along. Of course, that made sense. Well, it made as much sense as most of the rest of his time since he'd arrived in Mystic Falls. "Well, no time like the present." He slid out of the vehicle and locket it behind them. "Are you sure he's home?"

"I think so. I had Jeremy call him for me." Stefan strode purposefully up the sidewalk. He saw a hint of movement behind the wooden blinds. He tilted his head to the side. "He's probably guessed we're not Jeremy by now."

The door flew open as the pair approached the front steps. "What do you want?" Jonathan Gilbert frowned at Stefan.

"We need to talk with you." Alaric answered, trying to diffuse the palpable tension between the men. "Can we come inside?"

"Jeremy called me. Is he with you?" Jonathan stepped back and let Alaric walk in. Stefan stood hesitating in the doorway.

"Jeremy's at school."

"So you asked him to call me." Jonathan glared in Stefan's direction. "Why exactly are you here? I seem to remember you telling me Elena didn't want me in her life."

"She doesn't, but we need your help. We're trying to locate Isobel."

"And why do you think I'd help you?"

Alaric had enough of the back and forth between Stefan and Jonathan that was basically getting them no where. "Because Elena's life is in danger."

"From who?" Jonathan visibly paled. He hadn't been expecting this news.

"The Originals." Stefan's voice was low and dangerous.

"Come in." Jonathan stepped back and motioned for Stefan to enter the house. "That can't be true. We worked too hard to hide her."

"You knew?" Stefan couldn't hide his surprise.

"Of course we knew or at least we knew it was possible." Jonathan led the other men into his living room. "That's why we placed her with my brother and Miranda." He dropped into a chair. "It killed Isobel to give Elena up. We were too young, of course, we hadn't planned it. Her mother died when she was just a baby, or at least that's the story. Isobel was never totally sure. Her dad had told her about the family secret. Isobel always said she didn't want to have kids. The family curse had to die with her. I'd read the original Jonathan Gilbert's journals. He knew more than she did. If her family said a baby was coming that could break the sun and moon curse - we didn't want to take a chance with ours."

"Giving her to Grayson and Miranda was the logical choice. He had a ring. He could protect her. Protecting the town from vampires was part of being a Gilbert." Jonathan bit his lip and ran his hand over his forehead. "But giving Elena up did something to Isobel. She was never the same." He stood and walked to a cabinet and pulled out a bottle full of an amber liquid. He poured out three glasses and offered one to the other two men in the room before picking up his own and downing it in a single gulp. "She disappeared just a day or so after Elena was born. She never totally lost track of Elena. I saw her a few times - watching Elena from a distance."

"Did she know who Elena was?" Alaric was serious. This was a side of his wife he'd never known. She hadn't wanted children because of the possibility of bringing the next Petrova doppleganger to life.

"Not at first. We just knew she had dark eyes and dark hair. But there was one day...I saw Isobel in the stands at one of Mystic Falls' football games. Elena was standing in front." Jonathan's face took on the proud grin of a father. Suddenly, Stefan saw Jonathan in a different light as he realized the lengths he'd gone to in order to protect his daughter. "Isobel turned and looked at me, and I could tell she was terrified. The next day, she brought me a picture of Katerina Petrova. We couldn't deny it. We'd brought the doppleganger into existence. Our child was doomed." Jonathan shook his head. "The next time I saw Isobel, she'd turned. She said it was the only way to protect Elena."

"That's why we need to find her." Alaric's voice was laden with emotion. His wife had sacrificed her humanity to save her daughter.

"The Originals know about Elena now." Stefan leaned forward and turned his untouched drink in his hand. "Katherine said Isobel would know how to protect her."

* * *

"Rose...Rose, please, I'm Elena." Elena sprinted through the house trying to figure out how everything went so wrong so very quickly. One minute she'd been in the hall returning Damon's text message, assuring him that Rose was doing fine, she was asleep in her bedroom...and then next she was running away from the vampire who suddenly had an infinite burst of strength. Now, Rose only seemed to recognize Elena as a source of food.

Elena spun around a corner and tripped over the broken pieces of her cell phone. Rose hadn't been pleased when Elena tried to call Damon. Stefan had once told her that the chase was as enjoyable as the actual feed for many vampires. Rose definitely fit that description. Elena had long-since lost track of how long she'd been running. If she hadn't know the layout of the boarding house this well, she would have died long ago. She'd given up making a break for the door. Rose had already blocked her path each time she'd reached one.

Right now, they were playing cat and mouse. Rose was simply waiting for Elena to get too tired to run any more. Which, honestly, wasn't going to be much longer.

Elena darted into Stefan's room and slammed the door shut. Throwing all her strength into it, she knocked the dresser over and barricaded the door.

"Nice try." Rose's distorted voice came from behind her. Her eyes were wild, and blood from Damon's emptied stash of blood bags dripped off her chin and covered her clothing. Caroline was a neat eater compared to Rose.

_Damn it! _She'd forgotten about the door to the bathroom. All this worry about being killed by Klaus... Her hands shook as she looked her death in the eye. "Rose, please." She bolted over Stefan's bed, but just as she reached the door to the balcony, she felt Rose's hand grip her from behind. Her head slammed against the floor. Just as everything faded away into blackness, she felt an agonizing pain tearing at her throat.

* * *

_"Has the dementia set in?"_

Jules' words echoed through his head as he sped through the country roads leading to the boarding house.

_"It's been what...two days? She doesn't have much longer now. You left her alone? Good luck with that."_

Damon didn't even remember what he'd said in reply - if he did reply. He'd simply thrown cash down on the bar and ran to his car as he punched Elena's number into his phone. Of course...voice mail.

He threw his car into park and leapt out of the driver's side door. He sped to the front of the boardinghouse and crashed through the front doors. One glance back and forth confirmed his worst fears. Everywhere he looked, furniture was overturned. Elena was putting up a fight.

A wave of nausea hit him at the implication of the metallic smell of blood that wafted in his direction. "Rose! Elena?" He'd never have dreamed the vampire he'd had to carry up the stairs to her bedroom earlier that evening could turn into a danger. He flew down the stairs, following the unmistakable scent, but was only met with a pool of blood on the floor of the basement.

"Where are you?" He sped back up the stairs and stood - searching, listening.

And then he heard it...the sound he'd feared most. He followed the sound of a vampire feeding up the stairs where he was greeted by an even more pungent smell of blood. He stopped outside Stefan's door and pulled the trim off the doorframe. He shoved against the door - blocked. He realized what Elena had attempted to do, but she'd only succeeded in trapping herself in Stefan's room.

Quietly, he circled through the bathroom and stepped into his brother's room. At the sight before him, he allowed his nature to take over as he sped through the room and rammed the make-shift stake through Rose's back as she crouched over Elena's still form.

"No." Damon thrust Rose's body away from Elena. "Oh no." Her once-lilac shirt was now bright crimson. He brushed her hair off her neck and studied the wound...not really a bite, more a gaping hole in her neck. Elena moaned in pain as he ran his finger too close to the savagely torn flesh. How was she even still breathing?

He didn't care.

The important thing was that she was.

He tore into his wrist and held his arm to her lips. "Come on, swallow. Please, Elena. I can't lose you." He pinched her nose shut. After a few seconds of gurgling, she finally swallowed a mouthful of his blood. "That's my girl." He slid one arm under her legs while cradling her to his chest with the other. He needed to get her out of here. When she woke up, he didn't want the evidence of Rose's attack to be he first thing she saw.

Damon carefully carried her down the stairs and laid her on the couch. Her skin was so pale - almost transparent. Even with his blood to help, he realized she was going into shock. He pulled a blanket off the back of the couch and tucked it around her. He reached for the poker and stoked the fire to its full height.

Only then did the full implication of what almost happened hit him. He knelt at Elena's side as he stroked her cheek. He sat next to her with only the sound of the clock and Elena's ragged breathing to keep him company.

"Rose, don't." Elena hoarsely protested. Her eyes fluttered open in terror as she noticed who was at her side. "_Damon?"_

"Shh... You're okay."

Elena tried to sit up, but quickly decide that really wasn't the best idea. "What about Rose?"

"She can't hurt you anymore."

Elena narrowed her eyes in confusion. "Does that mean..."

"She's gone." Damon held tightly to Elena's hand.

Elena looked around the room and realized they were alone. "You killed her?"

Damon nodded - his eyes never leaving hers. His voice cracked. "I'm so sorry. I never thought she could hurt you. If I'd been just a minute longer."

Elena held a finger to his lips. "But you weren't."

Damon realized Elena was still shaking. He helped her sit up and pulled her next to him, tucking her under his arm.

"But she was important to you."

"Not as important as you are." He reached out with his free hand and took her left hand in his. "I couldn't lose you."

"Damon, I..." Elena struggled to stay awake as she reached for her necklace.

"Don't talk now. You've been through a lot tonight. Just go to sleep. I won't let you go." He was rewarded by a gentle squeeze from her hand before she relaxed and fell almost instantly to sleep.

* * *

(Cue music here - "Almost Lover" (remix edit) by A Fine Frenzy)

Stefan slowly walked up the steps - not sure what to make of Damon's interesting parking job. He stopped at the doorway and glanced in the window. A roaring fire blazed in the hearth. Rose must still be chilled.

Stefan stopped.

The chestnut-brown hair that spilled over the back of Damon's arms wasn't Rose.

Elena was leaning against Damon's chest. A sick feeling filled the pit of his stomach. All this time, he'd been waiting for this. He'd seen the looks between them. It had finally happened.

Katherine had told him as much. Damon wouldn't be able to resist Elena while Stefan was safely tucked away.

His argument with Damon that morning suddenly made sense. His brother had slammed him against the wall not just in fear that he'd hurt Elena. Damon had been afraid Stefan had hurt the woman he loved.

He wouldn't disturb them. He should be angry, but wasn't. Ever since Damon returned to town, he'd been waiting for this moment. Maybe it was better this way.

He still felt the shame from that morning when he realized what he'd done. Elena hadn't been sleeping soundly against his arm. She'd been unconscious. He'd made a mistake...one all too familiar...and it could so easily have cost her life.

He slowly stepped away from the door. Jonathan had an idea where Isobel might be. He might as well start there.

For now, he was sure that Damon would protect Elena.

* * *

Well, that was a fun ride. I'll admit that I may have gotten a little OOC with Stefan in this last chapter, but I have a theory that he's his own worst enemy. We've seen the uncertainty throughout both seasons - his conversations with Damon, his questions to Caroline. If Stefan and Elena truly break up - and Elena turns to Damon - I think it will be a result of Stefan's behavior about Damon and Elena's "relationship."

I hope you've enjoyed this story. I believe "Echoes" (the sequel to Bittersweet) will probably actually post before the SE story I'd planned. You can probably expect to see it at the end of February.

I have to admit that I had some difficulty with the "reply" function after this most recent chapter. If I didn't respond to your review, I have to apologize. I ALWAYS respond to reviews, but I realized not all of my responses were sent.

Thanks a million for staying with me. As always, reviews make an author's heart go pitter-patter.


	6. Chapter 6

Author's note: So...about chapter 5 being the last chapter...I guess I was wrong. Actually, this is an unexpected "bonus" chapter since several readers said they felt I'd ended in a cliffhanger of sorts. I'd never intended it not to be tidy, so here's the last wrap up. I also have to apologize if I never replied to your review of the last chapter. Somehow, my messaging box became extremely messed up, and I think I replied to everyone, but I'm not certain. I ALWAYS reply to my reviews, but I was really sick and I keep thinking I missed someone. If I missed yours, I am truly sorry.

Warnings: rated T, sensitive subject matter, implied violence, mild language, mild adult content

* * *

"Did you even wait till you got her home?"

Damon looked up from kneeling on the hardwood floor of Stefan's room. He'd spent the better part of the last half hour scrubbing the deep red stain, and he couldn't tell the slightest difference. Normally being this close to blood would at least spark a hint of desire, but the pile of blood-stained towels only served as a grim reminder of what almost happened the night before. Damon dropped the rag as he rocked back on his heels. "What are you talking about?"

The front door creaked open but both brothers were too preoccupied to wonder who'd arrived at the house.

Stefan grabbed a fistful of Damon's shirt as he threw him against the wall. "You're actually going to try to deny it?" Faint lines appeared around Stefan's eyes. "I saw Elena downstairs. She's wearing your _shirt_." He slammed Damon against the wall. "I know there's something going on between the two of you."

Damon fought for control. "You think there's something going on between us?" Damon laughed at the irony of that statement. Much of the night he'd almost killed Jeremy was lost in an alcohol-induced haze, but he remembered making a similar statement to Elena. Of course, that was before he compelled her to realize his brother was the far better choice for her.

"I_ saw_ her with you last night. She had her head on your shoulder."

"I was asleep." Elena's rough voice came from behind Stefan. She cleared her throat and stared at the scene before her. Stefan still hadn't released his grip on Damon, and Damon's back was pressed against the wall. "What are you talking about?" Both brothers turned in surprise - not realizing their conversation had carried into the hallway. Standing there, still deathly pale, with her hair damp and tangled around her face, she appeared unusually vulnerable. She looked back and forth between the brothers before she hung her head and stared at the floor. Her eyes caught sight of her shirt and the magnitude of the night's events caught up with her. She leaned against the doorframe and massaged her throbbing temples. Her eyes shone bright with unshed tears. "Jeremy brought me a change of clothes." She chewed her lip as she motioned with Damon's black shirt she'd been wearing since she'd taken a shower that morning. "I wanted to give this back before I went home." The pile of stained towels caught her eye and she turned a faint shade of green. "Jeremy's going to drive me. I still have a headache." As a single tear began to roll down her cheek, she tossed the shirt to Damon and backed out of the room.

* * *

Elena placed Jeremy's backpack on the floor of the bathroom and looked at herself in the mirror. She'd been interrupted by the Damon's and Stefan's raised voices when she'd stepped out of the shower, and she hadn't really taken the time to look at her throat. She blinked in shock at the still-vivid-pink gash. Just as she reached up to touch the healing wound, she heard footsteps behind her.

"So, you fell asleep?" Jenna leaned against the doorway, a less than satisfied expression on her face.

Elena nodded as she pulled her hair back over her neck. "I guess I was more tired than I thought. I'm sorry if you were worried."

"Damon called me." Jenna's face softened as she studied Elena's troubled expression. "You still don't look like you're feeling well."

That was the understatement of the year. "I've felt better."

"I'll call the school. You're staying home again."

Elena definitely wasn't going to argue with that decision. She still felt as if the room was moving of its own accord.

The doorbell rang, and Jenna turned in surprise. "I'll go see who that is. Get in bed."

Elena gave a weak laugh at Jenna's no-nonsense expression as she walked from the room. She seemed to be getting the hang of this guardian thing. Elena pulled the blanket back and buried herself under the covers while wondering just how long she could sleep.

"Can I take her keys up to her?" Elena's stomach turned as she heard Stefan's voice from down below.

"Go on up."

Much before she was ready to face him again, Stefan was standing in the doorway. He tapped his knuckles against the wood. "May I come in?"

"Looks like you already are." Elena slid up in the bed and leaned against the headboard. Her jaw tensed as she ran her fingers through her hair.

"Damon told me what happened. I can't believe Rose... Are you alright?" He looked at her with such tenderness, her resolve almost weakened.

"I'm fine." No she wasn't. She was tired. Her head throbbed. Her neck burned as if it was still on fire. Wasn't vampire blood supposed to heal you instantly? Of course, that was probably a doppleganger side effect. She really hated being cursed. Looking into his eyes, her anger flared again. She wasn't ready for this conversation, but she didn't have a choice.

"Where _were_ you? Last night... I thought you were coming back. So did Damon. Someone had to stay with her."

"Elena, I can explain. Katherine told me to find Isobel."

"Wait. Stop right there." She held her hand in front of her as she narrowed her eyes and glared at him. "Let me get this straight. You were gone all yesterday evening because of something _Katherine_ told you."

"Elena..."

"No." She cut him off. "And then you left last night because you thought there was something going on between me and Damon. I _heard _you Stefan. When you were pounding Damon against your wall. I heard what you said. You asked him if we'd even gotten home before we_ did it_." She frowned at the crude implications of the statement. She slid her feet onto the ground and stood up much to the dismay of her throbbing head.

"Elena, please. You have to understand." Stefan pleaded with Elena.

"Understand what? _That you trust Katherine_, but you don't trust me?" Her voice rose in volume as her cheeks flushed pink.

Stefan reached out to touch her face, but Elena took a step back. "Elena, I know my brother. I know what Damon's capable of doing. I know how he can manipulate someone."

Elena bit her lip to attempt to stop the angry tears. "But you should know me, Stefan, _me_. I'm the woman you said you were in love with. I'm the woman who shared your bed." Her words ended in a whisper. She couldn't fight it any longer. The tears fell freely down her cheeks. "I don't know how many times I have to say it. Stefan, I love you. But you don't trust me." Her eyes looked fiercely into his pained green ones. "I can't keep doing this, Stefan. I can't make you believe me. I wouldn't betray you. I'm not Katherine, but I'm not going to keep trying to convince you. You're going to have to decide. I'll be here when you do."

"Is everything alright in here?" Jenna glared from the doorway.

"Everything's fine, Jenna. Stefan was just leaving." Elena wiped her cheek with her sleeve.

"Don't do this." Stefan's voice shook.

"You already did." Elena folded her arms and stepped back.

"Stefan, I think you need to go." Jenna came to stand at Elena's side. She wasn't certain what was going on between the pair, but she knew she couldn't make Elena face it alone.

Without a word, Stefan turned and walked from the room.

"Are you okay?" Jenna stood in front of her niece and brushed the hair back from her forehead.

Elena's face crumpled and she fell onto her aunt's shoulder. She couldn't lie any longer...at least not about this. "No, I'm not."

All the pent-up tears from the past few days broke forth at once, and Jenna guided Elena back to sit on the edge of her bed. Once again, she felt in over her head with this parenting thing. "Shhh. Whatever it is, we're going to get through this." She stroked Elena's hair and rocked softly back and forth until she felt Elena's sobs begin to still. "You can tell me what's wrong."

No, Elena most certainly couldn't tell her aunt what was wrong. Of course, that was on the list of her problems. "I can't." She admitted.

"Elena, there's nothing so big you can't tell me." Fear settled into the pit of her stomach. She pulled back so she could look her niece in the eyes. She gently stroked Elena's cheek. "Are you in trouble?"

Elena looked at her in confusion for a minute and then the implication of the question hit her. Of all the things she had to worry about, being pregnant was far removed from her list of concerns. "No. Really, Jenna."

"Are you sure?" Elena had been unusually pale and tired today.

"I promise. We've - taken precautions." Elena flinched as she realized that was something she'd never have to worry about.

"Talk to me, Elena. I want to be here for you."

"I know you do." Elena pulled her teddy bear onto her lap. "But it's complicated. I'll be fine." Elena forced a smile, trying to reassure her aunt.

"You sure?" Jenna wasn't so far removed from her teen-aged years that she didn't realize when she was being dismissed. She stood up and studied Elena. Elena nodded as she pulled the blankets over her legs. Jenna's phone beeped in her pocket. "Damn it." Jenna frowned as she looked at the time. "I can reschedule my meeting."

"No. I'm okay." Elena waved Jenna off. She settled back into the pillows and stared at the ceiling as she heard the front door click shut.

_"Are you alright?"_

Elena's heart froze in her chest. She blinked in surprise at Damon as he walked through the doorway of the bathroom.

"Sorry. I didn't mean to scare you." He took a seat on the window seat.

"How long have you been in there?"

"Long enough." He studied her troubled expression.

"Eavesdropping isn't polite."

"I never said I was polite." He flashed a grin in her direction.

"You underestimate yourself." She locked eyes with his.

He came to stand next to her and gently stroked the hair back from her neck. "No I don't." He winced at the ugly gash on her neck.

She reached up and caught his hand. "Yes, you do." Her brown eyes blinked up at his. "I know what you did. What you gave up .. for me. Damon, I'm so sorry you had to do it." Her eyes began to pool with tears again.

"No." He sat on the edge of the bed and wiped the tear from her cheek. "Shhh." He held her hand tightly. "I'd do it again if I had to." He desperately wanted to change the subject. He took a deep breath as he stared at her necklace. "Last night, you were going to ask me a question."

Elena frowned. "Was I?" She shook her head. "I remembered something about my necklace." She reached up and slid it between her fingers. "How did I get it back?"

Damon shifted on the spot. "How do you think?"

"Stefan didn't do it. Neither did Rose." She looked intently at him. "That just leaves you." She ran her fingers through her hair as she shook her head. "I remember you saying something." Her eyes darted up to meet his. "You made me forget."

Damon stared into her chocolate brown eyes. He couldn't lie to her. "I said something, but it wasn't the right time. It wasn't fair to you."

"What if I want to know?" She stared at him with suspicion.

He gave a half grin. "Someday."

* * *

Ok - so this is the REAL ending of the story. I hope that helped to wrap up my loose ends.

Once again, I love reviews. Who knows, I might be tempted to start "Echoes" a little before my original schedule.

Thanks a million!

txvdfan


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